2 Cents: Gambling and games

If you’re planning to gather ‘round the kitchen table for family game night, there something you need to know. You may be doing something illegal. That’s right. Yahtzee, Monopoly ... even Chutes and Ladders … they’re all illegal in the Palmetto state.

Why? Because we have an antiquated law on the South Carolina books … dating back to 1802 … that makes any game of chance with cards or dice illegal.

Think about it. It now just as illegal to play Monopoly and card games as it is to play a friendly game of poker in your own home.

The above needs to have a different more outrageous comparison

Trivial pursuit, Go Fish … and, yes, Clue. All illegal.

Did you know that legally you can’t even buy a raffle ticket to support a charity in this state?

South Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said “It’s ridiculous … and that the state’s anti-card, anti-dice laws are relics that need to be retooled.”

I couldn’t agree more. The state has no business telling people what games they can play for entertainment in the privacy of their own homes, including poker night with friends. I do agree there needs to be some guidelines, and McConnell has defined “Social Gambling” to address those concerns

The senator has introduced a bill that would legalize “social gambling.“  It creates “an affirmative defense” from prosecution when the gambling is done in a private residence, as long as “no house player, house bank or house odds exist, and where there is no house income from the operation of the game.”

McConnell’s bill also calls for a constitutional amendment to legalize raffling and other games of chance that benefit charities and non-profits.

He will present that separately.

Let’s hope this bill become law … and quickly … but I.m not betting on it.

I’m Rick Lipps, and that’s my 2 cents.